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Skydive instructor, student killed in Fla. jumps

Authorities say an investigation is under way into the deaths of a skydiving instructor and a student, both from Iceland, who died during weekend jumps with a group near Zephyrhills.

Pasco County sheriff's spokeswoman Melanie Snow said the two men took part with 20 other people Saturday about 30 miles northeast of Tampa. Authorities said a search began when only 20 of the 22 skydivers returned.

Snow said the bodies were founded near each other Saturday evening in woods south of the Zephyrhills Municipal Airport. She would not comment whether their parachutes had opened, saying that was part of the investigation.

The spokeswoman later said the dead were identified as 41-year-old instructor Orvar Arnarson and 25-year-old student Andrimar Pordarson. No hometowns were given.

The co-owner of a facility where the two men died said they did not deploy their main parachutes.

T.K. Hayes of Skydive City in Zephyrhills said the men's equipment appeared to be working properly, although authorities are still investigating.

Automatic devices with backup chutes were activated and the devices were out of their containers, but Hayes says they didn't have time to inflate before impact.

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